This invention relates to a body dryer in general, and in particular, to an easily movable human body dryer. While dryers have taken many forms, body dryers are known in the prior art as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,128,161 (Hudson) and 3,711,958 (Lepage). U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,161 is directed to an after shower body dryer having a stall with a series of air diffusers along the walls of the stall. This prior art device is a large bulky machine that is not easily movable and is expensive to build and install.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,958 is directed to a device having two fans with a porous billowy material over each fan that fills with air and expands to come in contact with the user's body, thereby toweling the user off. This invention does not eliminate the need for a towel and is also large, bulky and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,489 (Lindstrom) teaches an electric foot drying machine having a platform containing vent openings on the top. A baffle guides the air from a fan past a heating element and through the vents to the foot of the user. No mention is made of body drying. Apparently, this foot dryer, perhaps because of fan selection or baffle design or dimensions, is not designed to dry the user's complete body. Further, because the platform the user stands on is flat, the important area between the user's toes is not adequately dried, leading to discomfort and increasing the opportunity for athlete's feet and other fungal diseases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,248 (Campo) discloses an instant hot air welcome mat. This patent suffers from the same disadvantage as U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,489, that is, it does not teach body drying but is designed to dry only one's shoes. The platform is flat and it in no way anticipates a curved platform that would spread the user's toes.
U.S. Nos. 4,492,221 (Kerley), 3,054,129 (Dragoon), 2,779,856 (Fahner) and German Patent No. 824 689 are directed to hot air devices for drying shoes. A fan is provided for directing a stream of hot air either above or below the shoes of the user. Once again, these devices do not have the ability to dry a person's body.
U.S. Pat, No. 2,139,942 (Fellipone) is directed to a bath tub having a grated platform projected from the base. Under the grated platform is one conduit for draining mositure from the body and a second conduit for conveying hot air from a hot air source up through the grate to the body. Once again, this does not provide an upwardly curving surface to allow maximum drying of the region between the toes. Further, it is not an easily movable body dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,337 (Blythe) is directed to an egg dryer having a series of transverse rods provides at the bottom of a main frame annular ring and a fan mounted below the transverse rods. The eggs are placed along the transverse rods and supported thereon while the fan forces a stream of air up towards the eggs, thereby drying them off. This art is not directed to the drying of a body and therefore is unrelated to the instant device.